James Upshall B Grade Group 6 Smooth Panel Shank Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

James Upshall was, along with Ferndown and Ashton, part of a new wave of British hand-made, high-grade pipes in the late 20th century, with their founders largely coming from previous positions in the factories of companies such as Dunhill and Charatan. James Upshall was founded in 1978 by Barry Jones and Ken Barnes, both of whom had previously worked for Charatan and who had worked their way up to being carvers Charatan’s higher-end, non-standard shapes. Jones and Barnes’ pipes quickly grew to being something of a status symbol, and were enjoyed by King Hussein of Jordan, Anwar Sadat, Bing Crosby, Yul Brynner, Robert Wagner and Tom Selleck. The company also made house-brand pipes for Astleys in London, along with many of the other major makes of the era. James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest hand-turned British pipes continues to endure.

During the workshop’s lifetime, most James Upshall pipes were either Tilsheads (which functioned as an “entry level” pipe), or they were “S,” “A,” or “P” grades (which were the workshop’s “standard” grades). But, if a pipe was extraordinarily well grained, it had a chance to become one of James Upshall’s “high-grades.” Given that a “standard” James Upshall was already quite exceptional, these high grades were very special indeed. The “B” was the first rung on the high-grades ladder, one which the late Ken Barnes considered roughly equivalent to a Charatan Executive grade (presumably a Lane era example, as he left Charatan during its acquisition by Dunhill). This one is a genuine stunner and, as has often been the case, I’d be more inclined to compare it to an early 1960s Charatan Selected at the very least, especially those made before Herman Lane saturated Charatan’s grade system with ever more minute divisions. In any case, the design of this one is also that of a very “English” freehand, incorporating elements of traditional shapes, like the Dublin and the panel, or foursquare, into a sizeable sitter. The use of panels seems especially apt for this one, as that geometry gels really nicely with the bowl’s prominent, vertical straight grain.

This pipe is completely unsmoked. Some slight scuffs on the bowl, though nothing major by any stretch.

Details:

Length: 6.3″ / 160.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.95 / 24.13mm

Bowl Depth: 1.84″ / 46.73mm

Weight: 2.6oz / 74g